SAN DIEGO -- Nearly two weeks after 7-year-old Danielle van Dam disappeared, police again searched the home for five hours of a neighbor they have called a potential suspect in the case.

Arriving in the Sabre Springs neighborhood about 6 p.m., officials -- including a high-ranking homicide lieutenant -- refused to say why they again were going through neighbor David A. Westerfield's house.

(Probably hoping to find more evidence that may have been transfered.)

"...She also said Westerfield's motorhome was usually on a cross street outside his home for a day or two before his trips to the desert. She testified that when she left her house at 4 p.m. on Feb. 1 and returned at 9 that night, she did not see the motorhome..."

"Dave...The motor home wasn't sitting out front.

Keene...Now, as I've explained to you we've talked to just about everyone of your neighbors, everybody in that neighborhood.

Dave...Somebody told you something different.

Keene...Somebody told me something different.

Dave...Ok, well there mistaken.

Keene...Somebody told me something different. A witness has told us that, they know your motor home, is that they've seen it parked there before. OK.. They said that Friday night, as they came home, they got to the stop sign, they went around the corner, your moblie home was sitting there, and they know that for sure, because as they went around the stop sign, they had to swerve out to go around your mobile home.

Dave...Never happened. Guarenteed..... Guarenteed!

( Well, someone was mistaken, or perhaps a MH got to the SET a little early? )"

Q. SO YOUR CONVERSATION WITH THE DEFENDANT WAS MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO MEET AT DAD'S?
A. YEAH. I WAS GONNA MEET HIM THERE.

Q. WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO GET THERE?
A. BETWEEN 8:00 AND 8:30.

Q. AND THE DEFENDANT, WHEN DID HE SAY HE'D BE THERE?
A. HE DIDN'T.

Q. ALL RIGHT. WHO GOT THERE FIRST?
A. HE DID.

Q. ABOUT WHAT TIME DID YOU ARRIVE?
A. ABOUT 8:30.

(If Westerfield is at Dad's before 8:30 and Ms. Crum doesn't notice a motor home around 9 pm when she arrives home, what time did the mystery motor home arrive and leave the hood?
Somebody mentioned to police they had to swerve around a motor home that night on that street.
Rich, Keith, Barbara Brenda, Denise and Westerfield never mention anything about any motor home being parked on the street that night.

Is it possible somebody in a motor home similar to Westerfield's took Danielle?

It appears possible there was a motor home parked in the hood after 9 pm and gone before 2 am.

"...She also said Westerfield's motorhome was usually on a cross street outside his home for a day or two before his trips to the desert. She testified that when she left her house at 4 p.m. on Feb. 1 and returned at 9 that night, she did not see the motorhome..."

Keene...Now, as I've explained to you we've talked to just about everyone of your neighbors, everybody in that neighborhood.

Looks like I should have separated, every...one.

"Every one" but the neighbors who didn't see the motorhome?

Did they talk to anyone besides Westerfield, who might not have seen Damon's van?

Any other neighbors see a red pick up with a couple of mexican guys in it, or a Chinese lady running down the street Saturday morning?

Instead of being a witness, DW ends up being the ONLY suspect. If only he had rolled up that darn hose when he had the chance on Saturday.

__________________Vinny Gambini: When you look at the bricks from the right angle, they're as thin as this playing card. His whole case is an illusion, a magic trick. It has to be an illusion, 'cause you're innocent. Nobody - I mean nobody - pulls the wool over the eyes of a Gambini, especially this one.

(Probably hoping to find more evidence that may have been transfered.)

That's what I was thinking when DW told Peer about Danielle flattening out his comforter, and her asking if he washed them after that.

__________________Vinny Gambini: When you look at the bricks from the right angle, they're as thin as this playing card. His whole case is an illusion, a magic trick. It has to be an illusion, 'cause you're innocent. Nobody - I mean nobody - pulls the wool over the eyes of a Gambini, especially this one.

Q: THEN DID SERGEANT HOLMES DRIVE THE MOTOR HOME TO THE IMPOUND YARD?
A: YES, HE DID.

Q: AND THAT WAS DONE THAT LATE AFTERNOON ON THE 5TH?
A: YES.

Q: IT WAS THE FOLLOWING MORNING THAT YOU BEGAN ACTUALLY PROCESSING THE MOTOR HOME.
A: YES.

Q: THAT WAS ON FEBRUARY 6TH.
A: CORRECT.

...Q: AND HOW LONG DID YOU SPEND INSIDE THE MOTOR HOME?
A: WELL, WE WERE THERE FOR A PERIOD OF THREE DAYS. I WAS IN AND OUT OVER A PERIOD OF THREE DAYS, THE 6TH THROUGH THE 8TH, DOING THE PROCESSING PROCEDURES ON THAT. AT VARIOUS TIMES OF THE DAY. I WAS INSIDE THE MOTOR HOME FOR HOURS.

...

Watching TV?

__________________Vinny Gambini: When you look at the bricks from the right angle, they're as thin as this playing card. His whole case is an illusion, a magic trick. It has to be an illusion, 'cause you're innocent. Nobody - I mean nobody - pulls the wool over the eyes of a Gambini, especially this one.

The Schaffroths live three houses from the van Dams, and they said they have racked their brains for information that will help investigators.

If you bought girl scout cookies, it might be helpful to know what day that was?

Barbara Crum

A. I LIVE BETWEEN HALF OAK TERRACE AND MOUNTAIN PASS ROAD

Q. DID YOU SEE DANIELLE VAN DAM IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD?

A. I SAW -- I BOUGHT GIRL SCOUT COOKIES FROM DANIELLE VAN DAM, AND IT WAS EITHER ON WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

_______________

BVD
Q: AND IS IT YOUR TESTIMONY TODAY THAT IT'S YOUR BEST OPINION THAT IT WAS TUESDAY OF THAT WEEK THAT YOU WERE SELLING COOKIES TO MR. WESTERFIELD?

A: YES.

__________________Vinny Gambini: When you look at the bricks from the right angle, they're as thin as this playing card. His whole case is an illusion, a magic trick. It has to be an illusion, 'cause you're innocent. Nobody - I mean nobody - pulls the wool over the eyes of a Gambini, especially this one.

Q: WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE TO BE WHEN YOU ARRIVED?
A: I WAS CALLED TO A MISSING PERSON SCENE. SO WE WERE LOOKING FOR A MISSING PERSON AND ANY EVIDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT MISSING PERSON THAT MIGHT HELP US FIGURE OUT WHERE THE MISSING PERSON WAS.

("Role". Who says we need professional actors?
We get the point about this being a "missing person" investigation early on.
Now, was any evidence or bodies collected BEFORE your arrival on the 2nd?
Would the evidence collecting have been handled any differently if this had been a "homicide" investigation from the beginning?
Homicide became involved AFTER Westerfailed his poly.

Did anybody scratch their heads and say, "we'd better look at the blood evidence recovered from the crime scene and pretend we're looking for clues in a murder." Right?

Homicide only gets involved when they feel somebody has been murdered?

Have they every been wrong? What did Westerfield say or do that hinted Danielle was dead and some "lucky guesser" crack pot would call and claim she still was alive on the 15th and the bug evidence would prove him true when they found the body.

None of the evidence seized by law enforcement when homicide gets involved points towards Westerfield. That make a lot of sense!

"Is it his blood on the blanket of the victim?"

"NO! He's EXCLUDED."

"Have we excluded the mother or the other children or all other maternal relatives of the victim?"

"..aah, ugh, ...nobody has asked me to do that exclusion sir."

It's only AFTER he fails the poly and homicide gets involved that the blood evidence begins to appear.

You forgot! The 5 people who were in the van Dam house, ALL passed with flying colors!

Keene...It may have not have been something that was planned, it may have totally been an accident. OK? And, I think as we told you before, uh, we gave the pollygraph to 5 other people, and they passed with flying colors. One of those 5 people was the father,...

1. Damon
2. Brenda
3, Barbara
4. Denise
5. Keith
6. Rich

Huh.., I count 6. Was there one person in this PPP group who was smart enough to NOT take a polygraph?

__________________Vinny Gambini: When you look at the bricks from the right angle, they're as thin as this playing card. His whole case is an illusion, a magic trick. It has to be an illusion, 'cause you're innocent. Nobody - I mean nobody - pulls the wool over the eyes of a Gambini, especially this one.

A. I SAW -- I BOUGHT GIRL SCOUT COOKIES FROM DANIELLE VAN DAM, AND IT WAS EITHER ON WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

She and Brenda booed Denise and Barb when they arrived and they introduced themselves to the McNally's in a GS cookie sale effort that Friday.

BVD
Q: AND IS IT YOUR TESTIMONY TODAY THAT IT'S YOUR BEST OPINION THAT IT WAS TUESDAY OF THAT WEEK THAT YOU WERE SELLING COOKIES TO MR. WESTERFIELD?
A: YES.

From testimony:
Q: DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT TIME OF DAY IT WAS WHEN YOU WENT TO HIS HOUSE THIS YEAR?
A: IT WAS PROBABLY -- IT WAS IN THAT EVENING.

Q: SUN UP OR DOWN OR LIGHT OR DARK, ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
A: IT WAS LIGHT.

Q: DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS?
A: IT WAS THE TUESDAY PRIOR TO WHEN DANIELLE WAS. . .

Q: TAKEN?
A: TAKEN.

Q: HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER TUESDAY NOW?
A: I CAN REMEMBER TUESDAY BECAUSE OF A COMMENT THAT HE MADE TO ME.

...A I BELIEVE WE WALKED OUT FRONT. HE STARTED TALKING ABOUT A PLACE CALLED INCAHOOTS AND HE WANTED ME TO GO THERE, I THINK WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAS SOME KIND OF SPECIAL NIGHT. THAT'S WHY I'M THINKING I SOLD COOKIES ON TUESDAY. HE SAID,"DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR BOOTS TO INCAHOOTS."

...Q: ONE DAY THAT WEEK YOU WENT TO MR. WESTERFIELD'S HOUSE, ISN'T THAT CORRECT?
A: I ONLY SOLD COOKIES ONE DAY. THAT'S CORRECT.

(She doesn't answer the last question. Is it possible that TWO days that week she went to Westerfield's house? Her answer suggests the possibility of it being true.

There will be no cookie scene in the movie until we resolve which day it was Brenda sold cookies.
Vote for the day you would like to be used in the movie for the cookie sale.
A. Tuesday
B. Wednesday
C. Thursday
D. Friday
E. All of the above.)

"...Whose testimony was this and did he/she or some relative of them own this MH prior to DW???"

(Tomsovic's testimony. As for part 2 of your question, I have no idea who owned the motor home prior to Westerfield or why Feldman would ask the question, hypothectically! It was something that was unusual and on the record.)

Q. SO YOU JUST TOLD US YOU RECEIVED A BRIEFING. WAS THAT AT A COMMAND STATION?

A. AT THE COMMAND, THE MOTOR HOME.

Q. WAS THAT RIGHT ACROSS OR WITHIN A VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE VAN DAM RESIDENCE?

A. YES.

Q. AND WERE OFFICERS GOING INTO AND OUT OF THE VAN DAM
"RESIDENCE AND INTO THE COMMAND CENTER?

I wonder if Parga ever drove the command center?

Sometime Monday afternoon, Keene and Parga follow Westerfield to High Valley where the motorhome is stored. They start opening up compartments, "WE WERE LOOKING FOR A LITTLE GIRL OR EVIDENCE."

Q: DID MR. WESTERFIELD SAY OR DO ANYTHING AS YOU WERE DOING THAT INSPECTION?

A: YES. HE WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT WE MISSED ONE OF THE CENTER COMPARTMENTS. I DON'T REMEMBER IF HE OPENED IT OR DETECTIVE KEENE DID. IN ANY CASE, WE SEARCHED THAT COMPARTMENT THAT WE MISSED.

( Note: Try not to be too helpful. )

My question again is, what the heck were Dorie Savage, Sargent Duran, and Ruben Inzunza doing at the motorhome while DW was being question by Parga & Keene, and after they had left the van Dam's residence, where blood, DNA, fibers, hairs, and other trace evidence was being collected? Coming from the scene of a crime, inadvertently, creating a new one? Surely it didn't take close to 4 hours to determine Danielle wasn't in the MH? (Again!) Were they waiting for detective Collins to make sure Danielle wasn't in that motorhome?

How many people went into the van Dam's home, and then into DW's MH, Including the person who drove DW's MH to the impound lot, before the official walk through Feb. 5th, and when they officially started collecting evidence Feb. 6th?

Hmmmm... a single tiny blood drop, found UNDER a towel. No wonder everyone else but Peer missed it? No wonder the dogs failed to sniff it out? This is going to make one heck of a movie!

Patrick

Your Question...

Quote:

"What the heck were Dorie Savage, Sargent Duran, and Ruben Inzunza doing at the motorhome while DW was being question by Parga & Keene, and after they had left the van Dam's residence, where blood, DNA, fibers, hairs, and other trace evidence was being collected?"

Dulaney examined that Pillowcase and found three (3) Hairs.
Dulaney determined that...Two (2) of the hairs were similar to Danielle's hairs in all the ways she could test and they were sent off for DNA testing.

Hope this info is helpful... but not to helpful

Roseann

CLUE:No testimony about what ITEM 23 was.. On.. Dorie Savage's Evidence List...
However..some of the ITEMS before & after the Missing ITEM # 23...are kind of interesting... When you take into consideration Dorie's S.U.V. inspection Date.But.. You will not find those ITEMS stated in Dorie Testimony.

Last edited by CharisRose; 02-09-2008 at 11:34 AM.
Reason: edited to add a clue

Q. What I'm trying to figure out is whether there was a vacuum cleaner bag in the rug shampoo machine that would allow you to look for trace evidence.
A. Not exactly a bag.

Q. Some kind of container?
A. Yes.

Q. Did you look in that container, whatever kind of container it was, for the purpose of locating trace evidence?
A. No.

(Hmmm. Must have been waiting for Collins to show up and do a search to make sure Danielle wasn't inside the carpet shampoo machine. If you don't look for the obvious evidence in the obvious places, you aren't going to find it and solve the crime correctly.)